OT ? for the Brits

[Ross]

A friend of mine has discovered a canned British food item at his local grocer that he has been having great fun giving to people as a gag gift.
It seems to be sponge cake with raisins and is called "Spotted Dick", there is also what seems the same thing sans raisins called "Treacle".
Do you guys really eat this stuff or is it export only?
How is it served and why does it have a name reminiscent of venerial disease?

[Ferret]

A friend of mine has discovered a canned British food item at his local grocer that he has been having great fun giving to people as a gag gift.
It seems to be sponge cake with raisins and is called "Spotted Dick", there is also what seems the same thing sans raisins called "Treacle".
Do you guys really eat this stuff or is it export only?
How is it served and why does it have a name reminiscent of venerial disease?

Lol, it's something that does get eaten, but rarely these days XD

Explanation (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspotteddick.html)

Buy it and rate it! (http://www.englishteastore.com/cak004.html)

[Ross]

Thanks for the info, that's the stuff alright.
Hmmm, suet pudding. "Best served warm with custard"
A fine dessert after a hearty meal of haggis I'll bet!

[E34-520iSE]

No spotted dick and treacle are real. Loads of people over here eat them, though s.d. is not as popular as it was in the 1950's. I had treacle at Xmas. I think they were invented as post war 'treats' but you'll have to check that out.

HTH,

Shaun M

[whiskychaser]

[QUOTE=E34-520iSE]No spotted dick and treacle are real. Loads of people over here eat them, though s.d. is not as popular as it was in the 1950's. I had treacle at Xmas. I think they were invented as post war 'treats' but you'll have to check that out.

Wonder if they sell Uncle Joe's mint balls over there too?

[Raaid]

A friend of mine has discovered a canned British food item at his local grocer that he has been having great fun giving to people as a gag gift.
It seems to be sponge cake with raisins and is called "Spotted Dick", there is also what seems the same thing sans raisins called "Treacle".
Do you guys really eat this stuff or is it export only?
How is it served and why does it have a name reminiscent of venerial disease?
Ho Ho!
The name may be funny but in fact the sponge pudding with currants inside is rather good when hot served with custard!!
I'm reminded of the man who was shown various objects by his psychiatrist who asked what came into his mind. Each time he replied 'Sex'. "Why?" asked the psychiatrist. The man replied "Because that's all I ever think about!!"

In this case, the 'spots' are currants and the 'dick' may be a corruption of 'dough'.

[Sidney Rough-Diamond]

Spotted Dick with Custard is the classic choice......fine food.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Spotted Dick with Custard is the classic choice......fine food.


Now that just sounds like a bad case of herpes with a side of gonorrhea

[E34-520iSE]

Well I haven't seen the mint balls here in the UK, but that's just because I don't go to supermarkets much, but someone else may have seen them.

Oh, spotted dick with custard is great, give it a try!

Cheers,

Shaun M

[pingu]

Haggis is more Scottish - I don't know what the staple Scottish pudding is - probably porridge!

Haggis is lovely, by the way.

[Ross]

Well okay now I want to try this stuff, unfortunately I have regifted my can to someone else so am left with only treacle in my pantry. A can of spotted dick gets far more laughs here than treacle so I kept the treacle.
Is this the same stuff without the raisins?
It sounds like you just warm it in the can (warm your spotted dick in the can? Perhaps that's how it became spotted.) , is it served in the shape of the can then or mashed up or what?

[DaveVoorhis]

Treacle pudding is the food of the gods. It's like a moist cake of extreme goodness. I dump it out of the can, break it up with a fork so it looks less like it came out of a can, and pour double cream over it.

Spotted dick is toxic. Anything with fookin' rabbit-turd raisins in it should be banned. The only good outcome of a dead grape is wine. Grape-corpse raisins are a festering abomination and a stench in the nostrils of the lord.

[Ferret]

Treacle pudding is the food of the gods.

Amen to that!



Spotted dick is toxic. Anything with fookin' rabbit-turd raisins in it should be banned. The only good outcome of a dead grape is wine. Grape-corpse raisins are a festering abomination and a stench in the nostrils of the lord.

Hahahaha

[E34-520iSE]

Spotted dick is toxic. Anything with fookin' rabbit-turd raisins in it should be banned. The only good outcome of a dead grape is wine. Grape-corpse raisins are a festering abomination and a stench in the nostrils of the lord. Are you a raisin-ist? Anti-raisin comments like that provoke anger and frustration at fruit stalls all over the world lol

Cheers,

Shaun M

[whiskychaser]

Well I haven't seen the mint balls here in the UK, but that's just because I don't go to supermarkets much, but someone else may have seen them.

Oh, spotted dick with custard is great, give it a try!

Cheers,

Shaun M

You get Uncle Joe's from the corner shop. Supermarkets would never have heard of them. To prove they exist check this out:
http://www.uncle-joes.com/

Not had treacle pudding for donkeys years. But I can make a very good rag pudding.

[Panda]

285g (10oz) Self-Raising Flour
150g (5oz) Shredded Suet
150ml (¼ pint) Milk
110-160g (4-6oz) Currants or Raisins
85g (3oz) Castor Sugar
1 Lemon, zest only, finely grated
Pinch Salt

Mix all of the dry ingredients, including the grated lemon zest, together thoroughly
Add enough milk to produce a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface.
Roll out the mixture to produce a roll approximately 15cm (6 in) long and 5cm (2 in) in diameter.
Prepare either a tea towel lightly dusted with flour, or sheet of kitchen foil or a double thickness of greaseproof paper, brushed with melted butter.
Wrap loosely but securely, leaving enough space for it to rise.
Tie or seal the ends.
Place in the steamer and cover tightly.
Steam for 1½ to 2 hours.
Serve cut into thck slices with hot custard.


You know you want to:)

[Ross]

Tried it yesterday, the friend who began giving this stuff was invited for dinner, my GF kept him busy while I prepared it with custard.
It was enjoyed by all and a good laugh was had when her secret recipe was revealed.
So again I ask the Brits here is treacle the same item without the raisins?
Part of my confusion over this stuff is that Brits and Amis have different idea of "pudding". Here it is gelatinous goop eaten with a spoon. So when hearing spotted dick descibed as a pudding made of suet and raisins it sounds utterly disgusting.
Anyhow I'm pleased to report for any interested that it is a slightly spicy CAKE and tastes very good. And I've only had the canned variety.

[E34-520iSE]

There's no raisins in our treacle. We call 'a gelatenous lump' jelly, which we eat with custard. In the UK a pudding (or sweet) is something you eat after dinner, be it jelly, spotted dick, cake or whatever. and spotted dick out of the can tastes nowhere near as good as the home made version. You know, I might even make some soon. Talking about food, in the UK we also have some quite diverse foods from different areas, ie cornish pasties, yorkshire pudding, welsh rarebit, dozens of cheeses, kendal mint cake, cromer (Norfolk) crabs,pease pudding, Chips and 'scraps' or 'batter' from the local chippy.......

Cheers,

Shaun M

[Ross]

Treacle IS jelly like then?

[E34-520iSE]

Nope, treacle is treacle, warm and runny. Jelly is cold & wobbly and tastes of strawberry/orange/raspberry etc, completely different.

Treacle:-
http://www.adam-hart-davis.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/photos/treacle.jpg

Jelly:-

http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/blog/images/peach_amaretto_jelly.jpg

HTH,

Shaun M

[Ross]

Thats okay. I'll just open the can and see what's in it then decide how to serve it. Is this supposed to be the sauce for SD?

[BobHarris]

Treacle pudding is a suet sponge with treacle (golden syrup) running off of it. It's like spotted dick but without the spots and with the treacle added.

Spotted Dick

C:\Documents and Settings\Bobby\My Documents\My Pictures\SpottedDick.jpg

Treacle pudding

C:\Documents and Settings\Bobby\My Documents\My Pictures\steamed-treacle-sponge.jpg

[BobHarris]

Oh well that didn't work. I had intended to have a couple of photos but you'll just have to google image them yourself if you want to see them.

[Ross]

I'll see for myself soon enough. Thanks for British cuisine 101.

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

Any country that mixes peanut butter and jelly has some neck taking the piss out of spotted dick! At least we put our old actors and inbreeds in a home not government!

[Ferret]

Any country that mixes peanut butter and jelly has some neck taking the piss out of spotted dick! At least we put our old actors and inbreeds in a home not government!

Hahahahahahaha

*amused*